Pedestrian Deaths
The City by the Bay leads the nation in one grim traffic statistic: the share of fatal crashes that kill pedestrians. I reported on it for the San Francisco Standard.
Journalist · Editor · Author · Educator
Cyrus Farivar
suh-ROOS FAR-ih-var · سیروس فریور
For 20+ years, I've covered Silicon Valley, AI, criminal justice, and technology’s unintended consequences.
I’ve worked most recently for Forbes, NBC News, and Ars Technica.
Selected work
Reporting with receipts.
Cruise
In 2023, I reported extensively on AV startup Cruise’s misdeeds. I broke the story of how a car struck and dragged a San Francisco woman.
Razzlekhan
I wrote the definitive 2022 Forbes profile of Heather Morgan, aka “Razzlekhan,” who admitted to being involved in a massive crypto heist. This story was optioned for a film.
Payday Lending
A Bay Area financial startup argues that it isn’t a lender at all because the company relies on tips rather than required fees and does not send debt collectors after customers who fail to repay the money. I dug in for NBC News.
Surveillance
Years before Flock Safety was founded, I obtained 4.6M license plate reader scans from the Oakland Police Department. I reported on it for Ars Technica in March 2015.
Podcasts
I even wrote the very first story in The New York Times about podcasting (while a graduate student!) way back in October 2004.
Farivar Media LLC
Journalist. Editor. Author. Speaker. Comms.
Companies need more than just content — they need clarity. Farivar Media LLC delivers communication that earns trust and cuts through the fog.
Past and present clients include:
Journalism / Research / Analysis
Deep reporting, policy analysis, legalese, subject-matter experts, loopholes, and unintended consequences.
Writing / Comms / Story Coaching
Clear writing, sharp interviews, media judgment, and story sense built over decades.
Live Events
Stage interviews, executive prep, venue coordination, video crews, and event production.
Connecting People
The node of weak ties: journalism, bikes, wildfire, civic life, and community.
Educator
From newsrooms to classrooms.
Teaching
I was invited to teach the first-ever "AI & Journalism" class to undergraduates during the Summer 2026 session at UC Berkeley.
I've also taught at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
Books
Long-form reporting and research.
Habeas Data
Melville House · 2018
A half-century of American surveillance law, made readable even for non-lawyers.
The Internet of Elsewhere
Rutgers University Press · 2011
Reporting from Estonia, Iran, Senegal, and South Korea on how culture and politics shape the internet.
Contact
Let’s be amazing together.
Available for reporting, editing, story coaching, speaking, live events, and communications strategy.
+1-341-758-0888 (Mobile/Signal)